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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. game — wild animals
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. spring — a coil
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. spring — the season
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — a series
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. game — a match

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com